Bongani Mdakane is an admitted attorney with over 12 years of experience in the legal fraternity. He holds an LLB from the University of South Africa (UNISA), and a Postgraduate Diploma in Drafting and Interpretation of Contracts from the University of Johannesburg (UJ).

Bongani started his legal career at Spoor & Fisher, a leading, Intellectual Property law firm where he served articles and specialised in Trade Mark and Copyright Law.  He would later obtain an opportunity to expand his legal experience outside of Intellectual Property Law when he joined Lexcorp, a legal insurance company offering general legal services to its policyholder clients. This is where Bongani gained exposure to Labour Law, Family Law and Criminal law. Following his time at Lexcorp, Bongani gained Commercial Law experience by serving as a Commercial Legal Advisor at Clientele Legal’s Business/SMME department.

In this role at Clientele Legal, Bongani’s duties involved drafting and reviewing contracts, advising companies on statutory compliance including, (without limitation) the Consumer Protection Act, and Labour Relations Act, instituting disciplinary hearings and carrying out debt collection. In addition, Bongani managed litigation matters.

An ardent music lover, it was Bongani’s long-held wish to merge his legal experience with his love for music. This opportunity came in the form of the Southern African Music Rights Organisation (SAMRO) where Bongani served as a Legal Advisor. At SAMRO, Bongani obtained invaluable experience in the music industry, particularly in the context of collective management.

Notably, Bongani was part of the team which made written submissions to the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on the Copyright Amendment Bill.   Eager to continue his work in the music industry, Bongani joined one of the leading independent record labels, Ambitiouz Entertainment as a Legal and Business Affairs Manager.

This role at Ambitiouz Entertainment involved, (without limitation), drafting, reviewing, and negotiating Artist Agreements, Licence Agreements, Endorsement Agreements, Performance Agreements, Publishing Agreements, Distribution Agreements, and Joint Venture Agreements. The role also involved publishing administration and management of litigation matters. During his tenure at Ambitiouz Entertainment, Bongani joined the Composers, Authors, and Publishers Association (CAPASSO) as a Non-Executive Director.

Driven by a need to continue to hone his legal experience in an all-encompassing manner, Bongani founded Mdakane Attorneys in January 2023.